Tag: #vegetarian

Last week I was lucky enough to attend the launch of one of my favourite pubs. The Hole In The Wall is a premium pub, bar and restaurant, situated in the City Centre of Bristol.

The Hole In The Wall is very local to me and a venue that I have visited many times before the refurbishment had taken place. I was so surprised when walking into the pub as the transformation was incredible. The decor and atmosphere represents a really classy and chic bar.

On arrival we were able to visit the Gin Bar and garnish our own Gin and Tonics. Being a Gin Lover, I jumped at the chance. I made the perfect Tanqueray Gin and Tonic, filled with rose petals and glazed cherries.

After treating ourselves to a tasty G&T, it was only right we sampled some of the new cocktails added to the menu. My favourite being the Clover Club, a Gin and Martini cocktail, decorated with the most prettiest edible flowers.

Not only did this cocktail look great, but it tasted amazing. If you’re obsessed with ginlike me, then I would definitely recommend you give this cocktail a try.

After tasting the fabulous drinks on offer, it was time for us to sit down to dinner. The dining area of the pub is absolutely gorgeous. There is plenty of room for groups of all sizes, along with a meeting room available for bookings.

The tables were dressed beautifully and I could not wait to see what the new menu had to offer.

To start I decided to try the Thyme-Roasted Portobello Mushrooms, served in Cropwell Bishop Sauce, with a side of Rustic Toast. I absolutely love mushrooms and this dish did not disappoint. There were so many flavours to this dish, I instantly fell in love.

For my main, I chose the Roasted Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Tart. This dish was stuffed with vegetables and full of flavour. This would be great for a lunch time, or a warm dinner dish.

I was so full after eating these two courses, but as always I made sure that I had enough room for one of their fancy new desserts.

For my dessert, I picked the Melting Chocolate and Peanut Bomb, filled with sticky toffee pudding and peanut butter cream. The bomb is served with bourbon vanilla ice cream and hot salted caramel sauce.

The presentation of this dessert was absolutely incredible. Once the sauce is poured onto the top of the dessert, the melting feature is magical.

Along with the dessert looking the part, it tasted amazing. If you a chocolate fan, then you will not be disappointed.

The service I received was outstanding and I had such a great evening. I could not believe the transformation of both the decor and menu.

I can’t wait to return to The Hole In The Wall and get my hands on those fancy cocktails again.

The food and drink reviewed on the launch night was gifted to me by The Hole In The Wall. All of the opinions posted on my blog are my own.

If you’re somebody who loves going out for tasty food, then Bristol is definitely the place for you. Last week I visited Dangun, a small asian restaurant based on St Nicholas Street, Bristol.

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On arrival I was given the chance to watch a Kimchi workshop. Kieran, Dangun’s head chef demonstrated how to make Kimchi from scratch. Kimchi is homemade spicy fermented cabbage which can be made with either fish sauce or vegetable sauce. Kieran used the vegetable sauce in order to accommodate vegetarians like myself. He also explained to us that you can get your desired taste from Kimchi by fermenting it for as long as you wish.

I had the chance to taste three versions of Kimchi which had been fermented for five days, ten days and also fifteen days. I found that the Kimchi which had been fermented for fifteen days taken the best. It was less sour than the others and had a much more savoury taste to it.

After digging in to some tasty Edamame Beans, Asian Coleslaw and Pickles, it was time to have our starter. The starter I chose was the Toppoki. This dish consists of Korean Rice Cakes in a Spicy Gochujang Sauce. There is a lot of heat in this dish which works perfectly with the flavours and textures. The portions in Dangun are huge and I this starter alone could have filled me up. I would happily have this as a lunch dish.

The main dish I chose from the menu was the colourful Deopbap Tofu and Mushroom Rice Bowl. This dish was as delicious as it looks. The ingredients were incredibly fresh and filling. I really loved this dish and I am looking forward to trying it again.

I was so impressed with my meal and I was really surprised at how reasonably priced the menu is. The atmosphere in the restaurant is very relaxed and welcoming which is always a great feature to have.

If you’re looking for a small restaurant away from the big chains in Bristol then I would definitely recommend you give this place a try. The staff were really friendly and the food was absolutely delicious.

I was recently invited along to a Thatchers Tasting Event which was held at Pasture Bristol. The weather on the day was beautiful, which was the perfect match for tasting some ice cold ciders.

On arrival we were given a glass of the Family Reserve to taste. At first this could have easily been mistaken for champagne or prosecco. The bottle itself is one usually linked with a sparkling wine.

I absolutely loved the taste of this cider as it was incredibly refreshing and looked almost too classy to be a cider.

After meeting everyone, we were seated and handed out our menus. Pasture were kind enough to prepare separate menus for those who had special dietary requirements.

All of the dishes were paired with a carefully selected Thatchers Cider. I was extremely happy to receive my vegetarian menu as all of the dishes sounded incredible.

The first dish was the Tempura Jalapeno, served with lime and cream cheese. The heat of the Jalapeno was perfect for me. The cider paired with this dish was Thatchers Katy. The combination of the two worked really well together.

The second dish was Forgotton Onions En Croute with Summer Squash, paired with Thatchers Haze. Thatchers Haze is a drink I absolutely adore. It isn’t the conventional cider and it is one you could drink any time of day.

We then went on to try the Smoked Beetroot Tartare and the Truffle Mac & Cheese, both of which were incredible. I could eat whole bowl of the Truffle Mac & Cheese as it was so beautiful and cheesy!

These dishes were paired with ciders that I had not tried before. The Thatchers Vintage was definitely my favourite drink. I can already tell that I will be buying a few more bottles for the summer. It is such a light cider to drink it goes down very well.

I also had the chance to try out Thatchers Red Streak and Thatchers Old Rascal. Both of these are ciders that I wouldn’t usually pick, but I am so glad I had the chance to try them. Although they are darker coloured ciders, they are both so refreshing and I couldn’t believe what I had been missing.

We ended the evening with a Hazlenut Eclair paired with Thatchers Summer Vintage.Thatchers Summer Vintage is a new range out and I would recommend that you try to get your hands on it.

I had such an incredible evening and I feel as though I have become obsessed with cider ever since.

Who would have thought that Thatchers has so many delicious and different varieties of cider?!

Last week my boyfriend and I were lucky enough to try out the new Spring Menu at The Square Kitchen. The Square Kitchen is a restaurant located in Berkeley Square, Bristol which serves the most beautifully presented dishes.

To begin we were presented with a goats cheese appetiser which was absolutely delicious. Not only did it taste great, but it looked incredible too.

To start I picked the Homemade Breadboard, which came with butter and salt, whilst my boyfriend picked the Dressed Crab with avocado and creme fraiche mousse, cucumber and heritage tomato. As a vegetarian I didn’t try this, but he loved it and said it was really tasty.

For the main event, I chose the Lentil & Barley Pudding, which was dressed with Jerusalem artichoke, white bean & garlic. I loved this dish, as it was full of flavour and worked perfectly. As a vegetarian it can be a struggle finding a dish that is vegetarian yet still full of flavour, but The Square Kitchen definitely pulled it off.

My boyfriend decided to try the Grilled Octopus, Confit Chicken Ballotine, Chorizo and Braized Baby Gem dish. He described it as being a fresh, light dish that is perfect for summer.

By this point we were extremely full, but as always, we made room for dessert. We both chose the Aerated Chocolate, Honeycomb, Vanilla Fudge. It was one of the best desserts I have ever tasted. The aerated chocolate melted beautifully on my tongue and the honeycomb and vanilla fudge were to die for. They made the perfect trio.

After dinner we had the chance to go down to the bar and try out some cocktails. As it was a lovely day we ventured out to their secret garden. The have a huge seating area which would be perfect for these upcoming months. The cocktails were delicious and I could have spent all evening there.

Overall we both really enjoyed our evening at The Square Kitchen and we look forward to returning very soon. It’s in a great location and has a wonderful atmosphere. I would definitely recommend you check it out.

I recently had the chance to try out the new Beets ‘N Roots Cafe in Bristol and I was so impressed. You may have seen this cafe on Instagram already as everything on their menu looks incredible and it would just be rude not to post about it.

Beets ‘N Roots is based on Cotham Hill Bristol which is a great location, it’s surrounding by the cutest boutiques and charity shops.

The cafe itself serves organic food and the menu only features vegan and vegetarian dishes which is perfect for me. Along with their incredible food, they are also well known for their freshly prepared smoothies and juices.

I was so excited to try out their menu, the only problem was that they had so much to choose from. After much consideration I decided to go with the Buckwheat Pancakes which were topped with banana, chocolate and maple syrup, sprinkled with coconut shavings and pumpkin seeds. I was so happy with my choice as it was absolutely delicious!

Along with this incredible breakfast, I tried out their Red Juice which contains Beetroot, Apple and Lemon. This juice was so refreshing and fruity. I was really surprised with how much I liked this juice as I am not a huge fan of Beetroot, but the ingredients worked so well together.

After stuffing my face with pancakes I had the chance to make my own Smoothie Bowl.

There are many different versions of these bowls on the menu and they all look great. I will definitely be recreating a few of them at home.

One thing I really liked about Beets ‘N Roots is that they have a cute outside area which is perfect for when the sun is out. I picked the perfect day to visit as I enjoyed topping up my tan whilst filling up on their goodies.

If you’re looking for a tasty place in Bristol to go for Breakfast, Brunch or Lunch then you should definitely check this place out. Not only is their menu tasty, but it’s all good for you too which is even better!

I recently tried out a new Slimming World vegan curry recipe and I absolutely loved it. The Chickpea and Spinach curry is super easy to make and is delicious. The recipe is completely free on Slimming World and feeds four people.

Ingredients

fry light or alternative low calorie spray

1 onion

1 red pepper and 1 yellow pepper

3 crushed garlic cloves

2 tsp of ginger

2 tbsp of curry powder (heat dependent on personal taste)

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp paprika

2 x 400g chopped tomatoes

2 x 400g chickpeas

large bag of spinach

salt and pepper

lime juice

To start chop the onions and peppers into small chunks.Spray a non-stick frying pan and add the onions and peppers on a high heat.Leave till lightly brown (approx 5 mins).Crush the garlic and add it to the pan along with the spices.

Place the cooked onions, peppers and garlic into a large saucepan.Add the chopped tomatoes and chickpeas to the saucepan.Bring to boil and then leave to simmer for ten minutes.Gradually add the spinach and leave to simmer for a further 8-10 mins.

Add the lime juice and serve with rice.

I also made some Vegetarian Slimming World Onion Bhajis. These can be made while you wait for the curry to cook.

Ingredients

2 onions

50g plain flour

1tsp lemon juice

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tbsp coriander

2 eggs

salt and pepper

Chop the onions into thin slices.Mix the rest of the ingredients into a bowl and mix for 15 mins.Separate the mix into balls and oven cook for 15-20 mins on 220°C/fan 200°c/Gas 7.

Once cooked these Onion Bhajis are only two syns each and they taste great.
They work really well with the curry and make the perfect healthy dish.